Consumer electronics giant Dell is piloting mushroom based packaging for its heavier products such as servers and desktop computers.
The initial pilot shipments will be for the PowerEdge R710 server in a multipack configuration, By transporting four systems in one box helps reduce the amount of packaging material required.
The combination of multipack and mushroom cushioning make for a ‘super green solution’, and the cushions are easily composted after use, says Oliver Campbell, Procurement Director at Dell. “We've tested the mushroom cushioning extensively in the lab to ensure it meets our same high standards to safely protect our products during shipment.”
The mushroom cushioning is ‘unique’, says Dell, because it is grown and not manufactured in the traditional sense.
Waste product such as cotton hulls is placed in a mould, which is then inoculated with mushroom spawn.
The cushions take 5-10 days to grow as the spawn and become the root structure (mycelium) of the mushroom. All the energy needed comes from the carbohydrates and sugars in the agricultural waste, with no other fuel required.
Mushroom packaging follows on the heels of the company’s bamboo packaging programme initiated in November 2009. Bamboo is being used as a cushion for notebooks and smartphones.
The mushroom packaging project has sponsors including the National Science Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
